Natick native Tim Taylor, the long-time Yale men’s hockey and 1994 United States Olympic coach, died Saturday at 71.

By Dan Cagen/Daily News staff

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By Dan Cagen/Daily News staff

Posted Apr. 28, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 28, 2013 at 1:48 AM

By Dan Cagen/Daily News staff

Posted Apr. 28, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 28, 2013 at 1:48 AM

» Social News

Natick native Tim Taylor, the long-time Yale men’s hockey and 1994 United States Olympic coach, died Saturday at 71.

Taylor had been battling cancer.

Taylor coached Yale from 1976-2006 and was involved with USA Hockey for decades as a player, coach and scout. He most recently had served for several years as director of player personnel for the U.S. junior team.

Growing up in Natick in the 1950s, he played for the Natick Comets and went on to play at Harvard. After graduating, he played in several international tournaments in the 1960s. He tried out for the 1964 and 1968 Olympic teams, but was cut both times, the first time coming the same weekend President Kennedy was assassinated.

Taylor continued his playing career in the USHL, winning four championships with the Waterloo Blackhawks.

Getting into coaching in the 1970s, he taught the game to Natick youth in the 1970s when the game exploded after the Bobby Orr-led Bruins won the Stanley Cup twice. The West Suburban Arena (now the William Chase Arena) became a hotspot for young hockey players.

At Yale, he won 342 games in 28 seasons. He won ECAC Coach of the Year award twice (1991-92, 1997-98), and the award is now named in his honor. The Bulldogs won their first national championship earlier this month, with several players saying Taylor was in their thoughts.

Taylor was also an assistant coach on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team.

Word about Taylor’s passing quickly went through the hockey community. David Warsofsky, a Bruins prospect currently with AHL affiliate Providence who played for the USA Under-18 team, said Taylor had a big impact on his career.

“So sad to hear about the passing of Tim Taylor,” Warsofsky tweeted Saturday night. “He was one of the best coaches I ever played for and taught me so many valuable life lessons.”

In an interview with the Daily News in January, Taylor said he planned to stay with USA Hockey as long as he could. Speaking about a life in hockey, a fringe sport in America when he was growing up that’s become big business, Taylor took pride in what he accomplished in spreading the game.

"I feel proud to say we developed hockey in the (Natick) area a lot," Taylor said. "Gave a lot of kids a leg up on playing in the winter, and it was about that time that Bobby Orr came through Boston. Hockey exploded thanks to the Bruins and all their success and two Stanley Cups. Prep school hockey started to grow, there were nice municipal rinks.